Although social scientists have begun to develop an understanding of basic cognitive operations, they have made only preliminary steps toward applying this knowledge to practical activities. In order to stimulate new theory and empirical work on the cognitive processes involved in natural settings, the Committee on Cognitive Research of the Social Science Research Council has planned projects that will examine: (1) variations in assessment procedures for intellective behavior, (2) mini longitudinal methods for the study of lexical development, (3) the practical problem of spatial orientation, and (4) decision making in natural settings. These topics will be explored in two or three meetings where approximately eight leading scholars from several disciplines will assess the state of existing knowledge, discuss promising directions for new work, and in some instances original papers. The committee has also planned a series of small exploratory workshops to develop and test ideas for new research on such topics as: memory in experimental and non-experimental contexts, the role of language in tests of intellectual ability and the perception of representational displays. The emphasis upon cognitive bahavior in everyday life, evident in all these planned activities, stems from the committee's previous work on the nature and formation of categories and on modes of perceiving and processing information.